If I needed Someone
by lendmeyourcomb
Summary: Jeff misses being in a relationship. Then he meets a guy, handsome, nice and perfect to talk to. But he has one "flaw", at least it is one in Jeff's eyes. The problem is that Nick is in dental school, and Jeff is crazy scared of the dentist.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, my new Story, I really hope you enjoy it. I thought it would be nice to have another story station in uni :) Please, tell me if you like it, feel free to criticise **

"... and then he said: wasn't that about the rabbit?", Sam laughed, while Jeff was only listening with one ear. He loved he, but sometimes his best friend was not realising, that he really didn't want to hear about her girlfriend stories. The problem was, he missed being in a relationship, it had been two and a half years, since the beginning of college, that he had been single. He just couldn't keep up with the expectations Paul had had. Columbia was a uni that expected you to commit fully, and he had been unable to get to Ohio regularly. And therefore he understood that Paul had left him, it was unfair if Paul was expected to live without his boyfriend, most of the time. But that didn't mean that Jeff didn't miss it. The cuddling, the kisses and simply being able to stare at the movement of Paul's eyebrows, when he talked. He just missed being intimate with someone. The friends he had found were amazing, he could talk about everything with Sam and Rachel, but it was not the same.

"I am so sorry, I make you feel sentimental, don't I?", Sam asked. Jeff really wanted to say no, but he hated lying. So he nodded, having an apologising look on his face. "Sorry. You know what?", Sam's voice enflamed, not a good sign. "I think I have an idea." Oh no, not one of her ideas again.

Sam got up, went to another table, where a guy was sitting on his own. He looked rather cute, brown hair, wide shoulders, and Jeff was sure he was straight. People like this were always straight.

"Jeff!", Sam screamed across the room, "Come over!" What could go wrong...

"Hey, Jeff. This is Nick", she pointed to the brown haired guy. "Nick, this is Jeff." She repeated the pointing. "Okay, and to avoid awkward questions, yes, you are both gay, single, and in the mood of meeting someone, you can thank me later." She pushed Jeff into the comfortable, red couch, next to Nick and left.

Nick grinned. "You have a funny friend there."

Jeff smiled uncomfortably. This was so embarrassing. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Nick grinned wider. "No problem. It was good she was there, I am way to shy to ask out other guys."

"I know, I have the same problem.", he smiled, now having found some confidence. "She is cool."

They both laughed. Then Nick started to ask a question and they went on for the whole night. It was one of those perfect moments, you meet someone and you two have no problem talking, you are never lacking a topic. That was until Nick asked what Jeff was doing in NYC after they had found out, that they had actually visited the same high school, only four years apart. "They world is so small, isn't it?" Nick said smiling. "So what made you move to New York then?"

Jeff was grinning. This was the best thing that happened to him in years. "Well, I got excepted into Columbia. I want to major in business studies, how about you?"

Nick grinned so wide, Jeff could actually see a hint of a dimple. "Well, I am actually in the DDS program of columbia. I am in my second year of dental school."

"Oh, great.", Jeff said. He felt sick. He had started liking this guy a lot, and he was pretty certain that Nick felt attracted to him, too. But those were no good news at all. How would he, Jeff Sterling, who had been afraid of the dentist since the dawn of time, how would he be able to go out with a dental student?


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Jeff! I'm Nick, remember? From last weekend! Do you have time for a coffee or anything else, really? I was hoping you would want to see me as well.", Jeff had been sitting in front of the message for quite a while now. He really liked Nick, and he wanted to see him again, but there was also that THING, the big thing, Jeff was never able to talk about. Could he really overlook it? He thought about it for a long time, but he came to the conclusion to go out for a coffee. "It is only a coffee, nothing more. Maybe he isn't even as great and you don't want to meet again. Just try.", Jeff thought, when he pressed send on the answer. "Sure, I'd love to! When do you have time? -Jeff"

It took only a few seconds till Jeff got the answer from Nick. "I'd be free all day, how about you? -Nick" Okay, that was fast... But maybe that was the easiest. "Same. I will be sitting in the Starbucks at the Maddison building in an hour. -Jeff."

That was the closest café and Jeff needed time to prepare. He took a quick shower and changed four times until he decided on a simple blue sweater and brown trousers, Nick had mentioned which colour combinations he liked. Though he had spent some time on choosing his outfit he still arrived a little early. He did also remember what Nick liked in coffee. It was weird that they had been talking about coffee and Jeff had still enjoyed it more that just about any talk he had had since he had come to New York, nearly two years ago. He had tried dating twice, but neither guy was interesting enough for more that two hours, but Nick was different. Everything he had mentioned sounded interesting and even if it wouldn't have been, his voice was so nice and manly, Jeff could have listened to it for hours. He had sat down with the two coffees and he had just started continuing to read his favourite book for about the millionth time, when he heard Nick's voice next to his head. "Hey." Nick whispered, "Am I distracting you?"

Jeff closed the book immediately. The soft voice gave him tingles. "Hey, Nick." Jeff had tested saying this name at home, he was unable to say it, without grinning.

Nick chuckled when he looked at Jeff, who had totally forgotten about his doubt in liking this man. A guy like Nick was to hard to find. If Jeff would need to hide a not too small fact about himself, that was a risk worth taking.

**How could it be different, Jeff is trying to hide his little secret. How long is this going to go well?**


	3. Chapter 3

How easy it was to fall in love... Easy, yes, that's how it is. But only if he is the right one. How else would Jeff had ended up with that amazing, good looking guy, whom was interested in all those things Jeff liked to hear about. He was sitting at a bench in central park, his head on the shoulder of his boyfriend. The guy whom Jeff loved from the second that that guy had spoken up. They had only seen each other twice, before the relationship was settled. And that without having a word about it. Within three weeks, Jeff had been introduced to Nick's parents, they were the nicest people on earth, happy to hear about the new found love of their youngest son. Right now the two of them had their four month anniversary, and Jeff was looking down at the fragile glass rose, Nick had given to him as a present. The light from the sunset on the horizon was refracting on the glass and light beams, in all colours of the rainbow, were hitting Jeff's shorts.

"Nick?", Jeff asked, now looking into his boyfriends face.

Nick smiled. "Yes, honey?"

The voice of Nick's gave Jeff tingles all over his body. It was like an electric shock hitting him, but at the same moment, it felt like the greatest thing on this earth. A tear was rolling down Jeff's cheek and Jeff, whom got only aware of it because Nick looked a little worried, wiped it away. "I love you, Nick. I love you with every cell in my body. Gosh, I love you more than I could ever imagine loving someone."

Nick chuckled. "Well, the odd thing is, Jeffie, I love you even more. I love you so much, I would not be able to describe it, even if I could use every word on earth, to do so, you know?"

"You are wrong. I love you more, I love you twice as much as you love me.", Jeff said and the two of the started giggling and then, then they kissed. They kissed and it felt like the world stopped turning. Every thought left Jeff's mind, there was nothing, nothing but him and Nick and their love for each other. The time had stopped for them and the thing that divided the unity of them was sudden, heavy rain. They dispersed, smiled and grabbed each others hand, running to the nearest café, still giggling.

The café was a fancy french one with bakery, with delicious pasties and great coffee, and Jeff threw himself onto the tender couch in the corner of the only room it had. He closed his eyes, until he felt the soft lips of Nick on his rain-wet cheek.

Nick swung his arm around Jeff's torso, after he had put down the coffee and a blueberry tart for them to share.

"So our anniversary if not even worth two tarts?", Jeff quipped.

Nick grinned wide. "Nope, you will get your own cake when we celebrate our golden wedding."

Jeff blushed. He loved how cheeky Nick was sometimes. "As long as you stay with me, I will live with shared cake, you know?"

He loved that man. And he had been close to not giving the two of them a chance. At the thought of having been close to not dating Nick, Jeff quivered.

**I thought I have a fluffy chapter, before I start with the real plot. I'd like to keep this story slow, what do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

"How on earth is anyone supposed to get through these vast amounts of work, seriously?", Jeff asked, trying to find his way around the work.

"Well, if you had started a little bit earlier you would not sit here right now. You could come and cuddle.", Nick said smirking.

Jeff hit Nick with the second last paper he had to hand in by the next day. He was only a few pages away from finishing his work for half of the year. Jeff knew by now that Nick was one of the few people that didn't put off their work and he had already finished and proof read any paper he had to do, as well as having done all his manual work. Jeff adored this kind of enthusiasm and consistency, especially, because he was belonging to the majority of people starting in the last possible moment. He was amazed at how far he had come in the last week, having finished the heaviest load of work he ever done. "I know, I'm stupid, but we will be able to cuddle for as long as you want from tomorrow morning, okay? I need to finish this and then we have all time in this world.", Jeff said, giving Nick a quick kiss on his cheek and going back to work fast, typing at high speed.

Nick frowned ,"You know that that will be all the time, till infinity don't you?", he said grinning.

Jeff stopped again for a moment, then he smiled, "I have no problem with that whatsoever." Nick hugged him and Jeff had to remember how important it was what he was doing, to get back to work.

The next morning, Jeff had really finished at the last moment and had printed the paper out, only minutes before he had to leave. Nick had made him breakfast to take with him, while he ran to campus, handing in the paper just a few minutes before the deadline.

He and Nick enjoyed the free time. They were both revising and working at the same times every day, so they could make the best out of their free time together and they used it on their favourite museums, movies and concerts. One night they were sitting in front of the TV, Nick had cooked some fried rice and they both finished their plate when Nick spoke up. "Jeff?"

Jeff still felt this little electric shock down his spine, when Nick started talking. "Yes, love."

Nick grinned. "Well, we have some more free time, don't we."

Jeff was confused, what did Nick try to talk about? "Yeah, we do...", Jeff said slowly.

"You know, on Wednesdays and Fridays a supervisor is at my school, and we are allowed to practise... I need one more patient for my records for one of the tasks and I thought I could give you a good cleaning and a quick exam and...", Nick said, sounding excited.

Jeff froze. That had been the reason why he had hesitated dating Nick. He knew that the day would come where Nick would try convincing him to do this. He had dreaded the day Nick would find out about his fear and his abstinence of the dentist and he would be even more convinced of giving Jeff a check up. The worst thing was, Jeff knew that he had a problem on more than one tooth. From what the could see in the mirror he knew that he had at least three cavities and from the occasional waves of pain he was pretty certain that he had at least two other problems. And the last thing he wanted was for Nick to find out. But he had figured out a plan for this situation from the moment they had met. Jeff knew that it would only be a matter of time, till Nick found out about his phobia, and it had been going fine for longer that he had expected, but now the dreaded moment had come. "Ahm... I think we should not do this...", Jeff said, leaving a pause.

Nick took his hand. "Jeff, are you scared?", Nick asked and Jeff blushed. This was going as expected.

Jeff nodded. "A little. I am just not to confident on dentists, Nick. And I think I am not too keen on you doing it." Jeff knew that he would hurt Nick with the lack of believe in him. What he also knew was, that it was rubbish. Nick was great at what he was doing, he was close to finishing his third year of dental school and Jeff would hate it with every one. He would freak out, not dependent on their level of education. But he hoped it would be a convincing reason for Nick to bag off.

Nick nodded understandingly. Jeff felt bad. He made Nick believe that he did not have trust in him, even though that was more than untrue. But he knew that it was the easiest way. At least for now. "Okay...", Nick said, "I will find someone else."

Jeff wished he could help Nick. But this was not a situation in which Jeff would be a good help. Not this one.

**I will tell you a secret, ****_Jeff will not be able to hide forever :D_**

**Well, you knew that, didn't you? I hope you like how it turned out, I enjoyed writing this chapter :)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Stooop, stooppp!" Jeff cried, while Nick was dying of laughter. Jeff knew that Nick was aware that he was ticklish, he would use it to his advantage whenever he could. He appreciated the feeling of relief he experienced when Nick stopped; but he knew it would start again. He hated the attack as soon as Nick started once again.

"Nick, pl...eaaas!" Jeff screamed. He rolled over, pressed Nick's arm against the floor and, with the help of a few other well acquainted moves, he got out of his boyfriend's grip and was able to run away. He knew if Nick got another chance he would start again and therefor Jeff was unable to resist the flight instinct that he felt now. His figure made him able to deft Nick; he was able to get away from Nick who was hindered by laughter. Jeff ran out of his dorm, down the hallway, and onto the staircase which led up to the next floor. He turned around to see where Nick was at and regretted it instantly. He didn't stop running while turning around and because of the slightly too high step, he tripped and fell.

"Jeffy? Can you hear me? Jeff?" He heard a dull voice. Jeff tried to answer the voice, it was oddly familiar, but he couldn't. He opened his eyes slowly, the light was hurting his head and what he could see was blurry.

"Are you okay, Jeff? Can you hear me?" Jeff nodded. His vision improved slowly and he heard someone breathing out in relief. It was Nick. "S'rry...", Jeff mumbled, it didn't sound proper.

He felt a quick touch of Nick's lips on his forehead. "Can you sit up?" Nick asked and Jeff moved into an upright position. "Oh and don't try apologising, it is my fault, not yours." Jeff was trying to remember why he had been lying on the floor when a person touched his shoulder.

"Hey, Jeff, correct?" A guy who was dressed like a paramedic asked after he shined a flashed light in Jeff's eyes, whom nodded. "Good, hi Jeff. I'm Blaine, I'm the campus paramedic on duty. Can you tell me what happened?" Okay so that explained the questionable outfit.

Jeff tried to explain what happened and the paramedic grinned. "Well, you were lucky. Your head seems to be fine." Then he turned to Nick. "It would be great though if you could have a good look at him for the next few days. Headaches, vomiting, all that, you know?" Nick nodded in understanding. "Oh and you are a dental student right?" Nick nodded again. Jeff was now staring at Blaine directly, shocked. "I knew that I've seen you on campus. You should take a look at that tooth for him. I don't think that should wait too long, right?"

What? What was with his tooth? Jeff was confused. He moved his tongue along the rows of his teeth and then he knew. Half of his incisor was missing. How could he get out of this now?

Nick nodded. "I will, don't worry." Blaine smiled, handed Jeff a few tylenol for possible headaches, and left. Then Nick came closer. "Okay... Let me look at it please. We will see where we go from there. Okay?"

**A special thanks goes to my new beta "Tori", it is probably much easier to read now :D**


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, ahm..." Jeff tried his best to hide his sweaty palms and trembling hands, but his attempts failed if Nick's reaction was anything to go on.

Nick hugged him. "I know you're scared Jeff, but I won't do anything yet. I'll just take a look at what happened. I'm just looking, I promise. I cannot do anything wrong at this point."

So Nick thought Jeff was afraid of him making a mistake? Great. That wasn't exactly what he intended to do; It didn't help the situation either. Jeff knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this situation. The worst part was he started to notice some pain, which he couldn't stop thinking about. The pain was rather bad and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get around Nick fixing it. Nick would immediately spot the other problems, he would know that Jeff had been lying... and perhaps the worst part, Nick would make Jeff get everything fixed.

"Can you... Can you look at it quickly? I mean, I can get it fixed by my regular dentist on Monday and..." Jeff trailed off.

Nick took Jeff's now really wet hand and planted a kiss on it. "Jeff... I know you don't want this, but I will need to look at all the damage. Even more importantly, we need to get this fixed soon. It would be best to do it today. If you really don't want to do it with me though, you could see an authorized dentist tomorrow morning. This cannot wait two and a half days Jeff. Every hour it goes without treatment could lead to a greater chance of loosing the tooth. We don't want that, do we?"

Jeff shook his head reluctantly. He knew his behavior was childish. Eventually he would need to get a dentist to get him fixed up, not only the new additional problem, but also the other ones as well. He didn't want that to be today though. He didn't want it to happen any time soon for that matter; but maybe, just maybe, he could convince Nick that he would get the rest done by his other dentist. Jeff could get the new problem fixed today, the rest could be put off. So Jeff decided on resigning. "You can do it; I'll let you fix me up today."

Nick smiled. "You are so brave. Thank you for believing in me. I know, you think it's a questionable decision, but I am quite experienced already. I know how to do this."

Jeff nodded again. They headed back to campus where Jeff would inevitably give Nick the chance to work on his little problem. It was a Friday afternoon; nearly all the students had left the clinic, but one of the supervisors was still there to check on the work of the remaining students. "I'll be right back." Nick said and wandered off to said supervisor. He had a quick talk with him and came back to Jeff. Jeff hated it here. He had picked up Nick twice from this place, always staying for the shortest amount of time possible. Now he would be facing a long stay, fantastic.

"Okay, Jeff. I got room two for us. The professor is staying a little longer to check on my work, okay? Don't worry, he wouldn't let me screw it up." Nick said with a grin. He lead Jeff into the room. Jeff was not happy about this in the slightest. Two people screwing around in his mouth. There would be no way of them overlooking the rest of his problems.

"Okay Jeff, Will you sit down for me? I am only taking a look at the problem right now. It'll be fast." Nick explained. "Oh, and can you hand me the piece?" He asked.

They had actually kept the missing piece of tooth, which apparently made it easier to fix. Jeff handed Nick the glass of milk in which the tooth was preserved, and then sat down. What was he supposed to do? Right now his face hurt so bad, he wanted nothing more than a little relief, even if that meant showing his teeth to Nick.

"Thank you Jeff." Nick said while he put on a pair of gloves and adjusted everything. "I will only use the explorer and the mirror, nothing more, I promise."

"As long as you can stop the pain, I don't care." Jeff said truthfully.  
>That would probably change soon, but right now he wanted nothing more than to be pain-free.<p>

Nick smiled. "That is why we are here. So, Jeff. Can you open wide for me?"

That was a sentence Jeff hadn't heard in years. He had always hated that sentence, it meant pain... In this moment it meant the opposite though, so Jeff opened without hesitation.

**Thanks to WingsOfAnAngel for being my beta :)**


	7. Chapter 7

When Jeff felt the metal touch his mouth and smelled the gloves being calm was out of the question. Nick was looking into his mouth... His dental student boyfriend was looking at his teeth. How had he let it come this far? He should have paid more attention while running, how did he trip anyways?

"Ow, Jeff, what the...?" Nick cried when he took his hands out of Jeff's mouth. "You bit me..." Yes, Jeff had just BITTEN his boyfriend and now he was breathing fast and didn't have control over the rhythm; he lost control of his own body.

"Sss... orr..." Jeff tried to apologize, but the words didn't get out over his speedy breath.

"Jeff, calm down, baby, hushhh..."  
>Nick said, grabbing his hand. "Don't worry, calm down for me, please. Breath slowly."<p>

Jeff tried massaging his left palm with his right thumb, that usually helped when he hyperventilated... His breathing slowed down.

"Good. Think about something nice, everything is fine. We are lying on a deserted island, drinking water from a coconut- or is it coconut milk? Hmm... I don't know baby, those mind games aren't for you. ahmm..." Nick stuttered, Jeff felt a smirk appearing on his bloodless face.

"Sorry Nick, I panicked..." Jeff tried to explain, but he didn't know how to do this exactly.

Nick smiled. "I know, Jeff. Don't be sorry, it happens. I know you are scared, that's normal. Just try and do your best at relaxing, I know that sounds hard. I need you to keep your mouth open if you want me to help you though. So, do you think we can try again?"

Could he do it again? Jeff knew that the answer should be a yes. It was too late anyway. Nick would not allow him to stop this, in a way it was a good thing. Without Nick, he wouldn't get this fixed, and Jeff knew that it had to be done. So he nodded. He couldn't say it out loud, but he was okay.

"Good. Can you open for me then?" Nick said, holding the tools in position. Jeff opened a little. "Jeff, sadly I need a little more space, so just a bit more, please." Jeff opened to a reasonable amount. "Great. I will only take a look at it, remember?"

Nick did some stuff to the front tooth, tapped, scratched and everything was painless. "Good Jeff, thank you. You can close again." Nick said and retracted the mirror and the pointy thing that Jeff hated and of which he had forgotten the name of. "I have really good news. You chipped the tooth very close to the nerve, but the nerve isn't damaged. That means I need to do nothing more than a little filing and I will be able to glue the missing part back on. It is a smooth cut, so you will not lose much of your remaining tooth."

When Nick was finished, Jeff took a calm breath out. So not much more than a little drilling and some glue? He could handle that.

"I will just get the professor, he will have to take a look at it before I am allowed to do anything." Nick said, getting up.

He returned with his professor following him. "Hello Jeff. I am Dr. Martin, Nick's supervisor. I am terribly sorry for what happened there, will you let me have a look though?"

Another person in his mouth. Jeff was not exactly happy about this, but he knew that everything he had already allowed to happen would get lost if he didn't say yes, and therefore he nodded.

"Thank you." He said, having put on gloves already he grabbed the tools Nick had retracted just a few minutes prior. "Okay, open."

Jeff was uneasy, Nick had handed his hand to him, which Jeff had grabbed without hesitation. He squeezed it with every move the professor made.

The professor retracted the tools, then marked some things on a sheet of paper. "Okay, Nick. You are free to start, you diagnosed correctly. Oh, and your friend is a little jumpy, I think some music would benefit him greatly." Dr. Martin said with a knowing look, then left.

Nick grinned, putting on a new pair of gloves and filling up a syringe.

"Wait, what?" Jeff said, looking with a terrified expression at the needle.

"Jeff, it's just a prick. You will not even feel it. I will numb you first." Nick said, holding up a q-tip. Jeff nodded. Nick had seen his mouth already, Jeff would loose the fight if he decided to pick one anyway.

"Open?" The order came out as more of a question, so Jeff nodded and opened up again.

Nick had applied the gel swiftly, Jeff felt a little pressure. "Okay Jeff, take this i-Pod, choose a playlist, and we can start." Nick said, handing Jeff the small device.

**Somehow I really like writing this story, I have already finished up a few more chapter and I have an idea for a sequel :P **


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, GleeJunkie007, okay. One more chapter for today, here you go :D**

"Okay, we've waited long enough I suppose. I will start now. Press play and when you feel ready, open again." Nick explained.

Jeff clenched his teeth together. "I changed my mind, I will have this done by someone else." He fretted.

This was Jeff's desperate attempt at avoiding the unavoidable. He tried getting up, but he was pushed back down by Nick. "Jeff, I know you hate this, but it needs to be done today. It will either be me or my professor that does it, but you will sit down now and let it be done. It will take less than five minutes and you will not feel any pain, I promise."

Jeff knew that he would get pinned down if he didn't comply, and as long as he had the chance to choose he would always settle for Nick doing it. "Okay... But be quick."

Nick grinned, lowered the chair, and kissed Jeff on his numbed lip.

"I have to get a proper kiss later." Jeff said, trying his best to forget about what was going to happen next.

"Anything you want my love." Nick said, his smile fond.

Jeff pressed play, he knew that he was shaking, but Nick seemed to be able to work through it because Jeff felt a vibration soon after. His nails dug into the arm rest, but it was over before Jeff could get any more worked up. The vibration had stopped and Nick was now taking the chipped piece and sticking it back on. The vibrations started again for a short moment, Nick was probably filing off the excess composite glue. Shortly after it stopped Jeff saw Nick retracting the tools. He took off the headphones and closed his mouth.

"I am done for now," Nick said grinning. "but you can't eat anything hard until Monday, the composite has to harden completely. I will just get the work checked again. Okay?"

Jeff nodded and Nick left him alone again. When he came back the supervisor was following in his steps.

"Okay Jeff, I hope Nick lived up to my expectations. He is a great student and I am sure he did a good job. For the records, let's check to be sure." Dr. Martin took the tools and Jeff opened again. He was still hoping the professor and Nick had only been paying attention to his, otherwise healthy, incisor. "I couldn't have done better myself, you have a very talented friend here. Jeff, take a look." He handed Jeff a small mirror.

Jeff nodded after taking a quick look at his tooth. "Looks great. He really is amazing." Nick smiled at that. "Okay, that means we can leave I suppose?" Jeff said in a bit of an eager tone.

The professor smiled as well. "You are free to go. Oh Jeff, are you planning on staying with Nick for the rest of your needed treatment?"

Jeff froze. His hopes of his other problems being overlooked quickly dwindled. Nick had to know about his other problems. "I will think about it. I am happy with the work of my alternate dentist though, so I might stay with him for any other needed work." Jeff had the time to get a reasonable answer together when Nick was working. He was hoping his voice sounded smooth and even, but it came out is more of a frighten squeak.

The professor nodded. "Well, have a nice evening then. Maybe we will see each other again soon."

**I mean, really, how would Jeff have been able to hide it from Nick and his professor?**


	9. Chapter 9

"You know we need to talk, don't you?" Nick said when they were back at Jeff's dorm. They had been silent on the way back, Nick had probably waited for Jeff to explain himself, while Jeff had waited for Nick's questions.

"I know..." Jeff said, looking down at his sheets where he had sat down on the bed.

Nick put his arm around Jeff's shoulder. "Jeff, it's okay. Don't cry please. Just try to talk to me."  
>Jeff hadn't even realised he was crying. He tried wiping his tears away, but there were only more and more coming.<p>

"I am sorry... I... I..." Jeff said in a shaky voice, he was trying so hard not to cry but his attempts failed desperately.

"It is okay Jeff, I just want to know why you didn't tell me how scared you were. Why haven't you talked to me about this?" Nick asked, biting his lip.

Jeff shrugged. He knew why, but he couldn't explain it. That was the thing about his fear, he knew that it was irrational, but he couldn't just stop being afraid because he knew it wasn't rational; if only it worked like that. This was so embarrassing, he knew that this was stupid. But he just couldn't get over it. "I can't explain... I just don't like it, okay? Can we just let it go?"

Nick frowned. "No, we are going to talk about it. If you don't want to talk about your fear then we have to at least address the other issue."

Jeff hated this. That was the reason he had contemplated not dating Nick in the first place; probably the only reason. "What other issue? I don't know what you mean..." Jeff trailed off.

"Jeff, yes you do. You have major problems. Aren't you in pain love?" Nick asked with an all-knowing expression on his face. Jeff knew that look all too well. It was the 'I'm calling you out on your b***' look.

To be honest, Jeff was in pain. One of the cavities had a regularly reoccurring ache to it, Jeff had learned to ignore it over the past few months. He had not chewed on the left side of his mouth for over a year because one of his molars had hindered him from doing so.

"I am not. I'll say it again, can we leave this for now? I will get it all checked by my usual dentist if you tell me I should do so. Just forget about it Nick. Thanks for doing this tonight; I am grateful for it, but I'd like to keep this a onetime thing." Jeff was stubborn sometimes, this was one of those times. He knew no way out of this anymore, but he did his best to try.

Nick smiled. "Okay Jeff, and I let you know you did great today. If you want me to, I will come to your exam and any treatment with you. You are not alone in this."

Jeff made himself reply with a forced grin. "I am okay, thanks."

He was not okay, not at all. He hated to pretend he was going to get it all checked, because he wouldn't. In fact, he didn't even have an alternate dentist anymore. He had not seen one since his mom dragged him to an old guy back in middle school, but he wouldn't let Nick know about any of that. He would just do some research on treatment and pretend he had it done.


	10. Chapter 10

"Good morning honey! Do you want some coffee?" Jeff felt the tender lips of Nick on his hair. He didn't want to get up, why was there a stupid lecture at 9am anyway?

Jeff blinked briskly, his eyes were slowly adapting to the light. "Morning." He yawned. "Is that even a question?" he said, rolling out of bed, floundering into Nick's arms on purpose. He took a deep breath, while Nick giggled.

"Are you pretending to be clumsy, again?" Nick asked, kissing Jeff on the cheek.

Jeff grinned. "No, I would never do that." He smirked, taking a deep breath. Nick had the greatest scent; a mixture of tulips, chocolate, and something Jeff couldn't describe.

Nick's hand swept down Jeff's arm tenderly, his hand was so soft. "I made some waffles." Nick mumbled into Jeff's hair.

Jeff rolled over to face Nick, biting his lip. Nick's eyes were beautiful, the morning light was shining off of them in a heavenly way. He kissed Nick's cheek swiftly. He hummed softly, before he started to sing.

"Love is you  
>you and me<br>Love is knowing  
>We can be"<p>

Nick blushed, hugging Jeff for a few seconds. He then got out of bed and sat down on the bench in the kitchen. Jeff sat down on Nick's lap.

How could love be so strong? How could a person make one feel so good? Jeff wondered this regularly, at moments like this it became even more peculiar.

They started eating the waffles, not letting their eyes off the others.  
>After a few minutes, Nick began getting jittery. "What is wrong?", Jeff asked.<p>

Nick sighed. "Well... I hate to destroy this atmosphere, but I have to ask, you know?" He looked down, Jeff was pretty sure he knew what Nick was going to ask. He started to shiver just thinking about it. "Have you made an appointment?"

His suspicions had been confirmed. "Yeah, I have. It's actually on Wednesday." Jeff had picked Wednesday because Nick had an exam and he couldn't miss it. That would mean he wouldn't be able to accompany Jeff, which was what Nick intended to do.

"That's a drag, I cannot come with you then. Are you sure you want to do it on your own? I know how scared you are Jeff, I could help you." Nick was grabbing Jeff's hand.

No Nick, you don't know how afraid I am. You have no idea, Jeff thought to himself. If Nick actually knew about his fear and how bad it was, he would also know that Jeff couldn't just make an appointment like that; it wasn't that easy. It wasn't like Jeff hadn't tried. He had tried calling offices in New York many times, but the moment the voice of the receptionist would come on, Jeff couldn't help but hang up. "I'll be okay. My dentist is very gentile." He managed to get his thoughts together enough to make a coherent statement.

Nick nodded. "Okay. If you can't do it, call me; I'll be there. Who is it anyway? I know quite a few NYC dentists; what's his name?"

Jeff stiffened. "Ahmm... Hmmm... I forgot the exact name, let me check." Jeff said, pulling out his phone. He should have planned this out better. The first dentist that popped was apparently his dentist now. "Dr. Powell is his name."

"Dr. Powell? The one in 32nd street?", Nick asked.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, that one."

"Okay... But isn't she a woman? What is this about, Jeff?" Nick frowned.

"Sorry, I must have mixed it up. It's actually 22nd street." Jeff noticed he was sweating.

"Well, I don't know him, but if you are comfortable with him, that's good." Nick said with a small smile.

Jeff had been sure he got caught, but somehow Nick seemed to believe him.


	11. Chapter 11

It was Wednesday. Nick had been trying to talk to Jeff for days, at one point he had even offered to do a check up so Jeff knew what was coming. Jeff loved Nick for his caring side, but he didn't like that he had to lie to him. Nick was so nice, trying to make him feel comfortable, but that didn't help. Especially because Jeff did anything but plan to go to see the dentist.

"If you need me to come, my exam will probably be over about half an hour into your appointment. So I could come for any sort of treatment you might need." Nick said hastily.

Jeff smiled. "I'll be okay, it is not like I haven't done this before. I am just not very comfortable with it, but I'll live." Then Jeff went on to give Nick a passionate kiss before the brunet hurried out the door.

Now Jeff had some time on his hands. He had no lectures that day, so he had enough time to do the research on treatments. None of his problems were particularly bad, so Jeff figured he would only need a few fillings. If he had a very talented and fast dentist, this would be able to be done in one sitting.

Jeff had told Nick that he had made an appointment for a larger time slot, so he would be able to get it all done. When Jeff had finished reading all the stories he could find he went on to watch some cartoons. While laying on the sofa eating some ice cream he became aware of how uncomfortable it was when he tried to eat anything cold or sweet. Great, how would he be able to hide this from Nick?

Jeff woke up from the sound of Nick unlocking the door. He had fallen asleep while watching American Idol. He adjusted his hair quickly and sat up.

"Hello love, how are you?" Nick asked in his sexy deep voice that Jeff adored.

Jeff smiled. "I am good." Nick sat down next to him, grabbing his hand.

"Do you want to talk? How was it? What did you have done?"

"I am okay, really." Jeff said, still smiling. "I had three fillings done, and they cleaned everything up a bit; but it was okay."

Nick smiled back. "That doesn't sound too bad, you seem to have been really brave. Are you hungry?"

Jeff grinned. "Always. I got composites done so I am able to eat."

"Okay, would you like some pasta alfredo?" Nick asked who Jeff nodded happily. "Oh, and Jeff?"  
>Jeff looked up from the chopping board he had just placed on the kitchen table.<p>

"Yeah?"

Nick bit his lip. "Will you let me have a look at the fillings?"  
>Jeff felt himself pale.<p>

"I don't think I would be conformable with that..."

Nick smirked. "It is okay. Don't worry." He said before he turned on the radio and started dancing like a dork to Lips Are Movin' whilst chopping up everything he needed.

Three days had passed by and Nick had not mentioned dental treatment once. He hadn't even talked about the clinic, which was a usual topic. He was usually spoke about it at least five times a day, especially during exams; but right now he had only mentioned that he got good marks on a partially challenging exam. Jeff was pretty happy about Nick being quiet on that topic. He had always felt uncomfortable talking about it, pretending he was interested in the topic and not letting his fear show through.

Right now they were sitting at a Starbucks, both in armchairs, debating which doctor was hotter, Tennant or Smith.

"But how is it even possible that you find Tennant hotter? He looks weird." Jeff said and Nick shook his head in disbelieve. Over discussing all of this Jeff had forgotten his drink and was now taking a sip. Even though it had been sitting around, it was still rather cold and it make Jeff wince a little. Nick was looking down at the table and Jeff was hoping he hadn't noticed. "Smith reminds me of you a little. That's why I like him."

Nick smiled a little and Jeff took a bite of his millionaire's shortbread, chewing it slowly.

"Okay, I cannot stand it anymore Jeff." Nick said, Jeff looked at him in confusion. "I have waited way too long to bring this up. Why did you lie to me?" Nick stopped and shook his head. "Well, I actually know why, but do you really think I wouldn't notice? You are still only chewing on one side of your mouth. Do you actually think I don't notice you wincing when you have something cold?"

Jeff's eyes widened, he felt a tear rolling down his cheek. So Nick knew. How would he get himself out of any of this, how would he explain? "I... I..." Jeff stuttered while he tried desperately to stop the flow of tears. Nick probably hated him for lying. That was why he had been so quiet over the last few days..

"I just want to know why you didn't tell me. Why didn't you go?" Nick asked.

Jeff tried to explain, but no words came out of his mouth, the only thing happening was that Jeff could feel his breath starting to speed up.

Nick took Jeff's hand. "I need you to calm down, please. I am not mad, I am just trying to help you. Calm down, we are only talking, remember?" Jeff started breathing slower. "Good. Everything is fine, I love you, okay?"

"I love you, too." Jeff said in a whisper.

"I know. Can you tell me now? Why haven't you had the treatments yet?" Nick asked, slowly stroking Jeff's hand.

"I... I don't know... I didn't plan on going." Now the cat was out of the bag. "I can't bring myself to make an appointment Nick, I just really hate the dentist..."

**Well, it is out. I hope you enjoy it!**


	12. Chapter 12

"I... I don't know... I didn't plan on going." Now it was out. "I haven't even made an appointment. Nick, I hate dentists."

Nick kissed Jeff. It was a deep kiss, but it was disrupted by Jeff's tears hitting their fused lips.

"Jeff, it is okay. The important thing is that I am able to help you now. We will go through this together. I am with you on this, okay?" Nick said with a smile playing at his lips.

"I'm so... so.. sorry, Nick." Jeff whispered.

Nick stroked Jeff's hair. "It's okay honey, It's okay."

"Are you mad?"Jeff said, a little more calm now.

Nick shook his head. "Not at all. I know that this fear can sit deep, you did your best at avoiding treatment, and that's okay, but I want- no, I NEED you to be brave now. We are doing this, I'll give you an exam and you are going to get any needed treatment, okay?"

Jeff wasn't so sure if it was a good idea to agree to Nick's suggestion. He probably wouldn't be able to keep it, but he felt the strong need to apologise to Nick; and if it took that promise, he would make it for now.

"Jeff, Look at me." Nick said, taking Jeff's head and turning it so Jeff was looking directly into Nick's eyes. "I am not going to force you to get anything done before you're ready. Nor will I make you get it done by me, okay?" Nick said, his tone was strict and Jeff couldn't do anything but nod. "Good. I love you Jeff, I want nothing but the best for you. If you aren't comfortable with me I can get someone else to do the treatment. Is that what you want?" Nick said in his amazingly soothing voice.

"I love you too," Jeff said, wiping the last fallen tear away. "and no, I want you to do it."

A smirk covered Nick's face. "Okay. Do you think we can finish our coffees and get to the clinic? We can get a room for the exam. The supervisor will not look over anything yet. When have you had your last cleaning? I guess it is time for that, right?"

Jeff was fiddling around with his napkin. "Well, yeah, you could say that it is time..." Jeff stated, avoiding the question.

Nick looked a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind... But I would prefer not to have a cleaning today..." Jeff tried looking away from Nick, but he could feel Nick's eyes on him.

"Don't feel obligated to talk to me. I just want to understand, I think that could help you, you know?" Nick said, and Jeff suddenly felt the urge to talk.

He felt a tear from the corner of his eye, but he didn't care. "I am so scared Nick, I hate people looking into my mouth; having anything done terrifies me. I get sweaty, I shiver, and I bit people... you have seen it. The last time I went in for a check up it was awful. He said the cavity wasn't too deep so he didn't have to numb me; I ended up screaming, he didn't stop, and... Oh gosh..." Nick cut Jeff off by hugging him tightly.

Then he shook his head in disbelief. "Jeff, that sounds horrendous. I know you are traumatized, and that is by no means easy; but I need you to try. You have full control, if you need me to stop I will; but I know that you can do it. I wouldn't hurt you, believe me. I'm more experienced than you think. The only thing we are going to do for now is taking a look. You decide how we are going to proceed. Understood?" Nick said, now smiling again.

"I love you Nick." Jeff said, wiping away another tear.

"You are my everything, I love you too. So much." Nick responded, kissing Jeff again.


	13. Chapter 13

Just an hour later, Jeff found himself in the same position as he had been in two weeks ago. He was standing in the door of the clinic, Nick was talking to the supervisor, it was the one Jeff knew already. He tried breathing through his mouth because the smell made his stomach turn. He had to remind himself that nothing was going to happen, Nick was not doing anything but taking a look. That indeed calmed Jeff down a little, as well as the promise Nick had made to him. Nothing was going to happen today, or anytime soon if he didn't agree to it first. Nick would not force him into getting anything done.

"Okay, Jeff. I got permission to get you all set up. First I will take X-rays, okay? From what I and the supervisor have seen, we will definitely need them," Nick said when he returned. Jeff felt sick. If X-rays were necessary he would have more than just a simple problem, but he nodded anyway.

"Good. Follow me, okay?" Nick directed and Jeff did as he was told.

The X-rays were taken quickly and Jeff didn't make a great fuss about it. The good thing was Nick knew about his problems already, there was not much more to hide. Jeff had promised to let him take a look anyway.

Jeff was already seated in the chair, Nick had taken the radiation apron off and was now washing his hands. "Are you okay Jeff? You aren't on the verge of a panic attack, are you?"

Jeff shook his head. He was okay. Not having anything in his mouth, yet was probably the reason for him still being calm for the most part.

Nick grabbed the stool, switched on the light, and lowered the chair. Jeff started to get nauseous, it was also hard to breath.

"Everything is okay Jeff. If you need me to pause, that's okay. If you need to go, that's okay too. Let's give this a try first though, okay?"

Jeff nodded. He wanted to do this, he didn't want to fail Nick.

"If you are ready would you open?" Nick asked and Jeff opened his mouth. He knew that being reluctant would only extend his time in the chair. "Thank you Jeff, I know this is hard, you are doing magnificently," Nick said, putting the mirror into Jeff's mouth. "Raise your hand if you need to take a break."

After a minute Nick spoke up again. "Are you okay with me using the explorer?"

Jeff got tense, he hated the spiky thing, but he nodded anyway. It wasn't as bad as expected. He had full control over the situation, he knew Nick would stop if he felt too uncomfortable. Nick was really gentle. Jeff felt safe, though he would much rather be anywhere else. The sound of the explorer on his teeth was unpleasant, it gave him goosebumps.

"Okay love, you can close now," Nick said, while he put the mirror and the explorer away. Jeff relaxed his jaw, massaging it a bit. Nick kissed Jeff's cheek. "Thank you honey."

Jeff smiled. He felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders, he had survived through a whole exam. Nick took a quick look at the X-rays and smiled.

"Good news love, nothing is too bad. In fact, you need nothing more than a few fillings," Nick grinned. "I would like to have an assistant write some stuff down for me. It would help me with checking the X-rays. Would that be okay with you?" He smiled.

Jeff swallowed hard. He wanted to make it easy for Nick, but having someone in there would make things more awkward for him. "Is it necessary?"

Nick smiled. "No Jeff, if you don't want it to be like that I can work it out. It would mean a lot more time in here for you though, you can decide."

Jeff thought about it for a few seconds. At one point Nick would be in need of an assistant. "I guess I'm okay with it."

"Thanks Jeff," Nick took Jeff's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before he left the room.

Jeff tried to ignore the tense atmosphere, humming to himself.  
>He wasn't to unhappy with how it went. He still had a lot more to get through, but he hadn't bitten Nick today and that was progress.<p>

**What a brave little Jeff :D**


	14. Chapter 14

"Jeff, this is Quinn," Nick said, while he looked from Jeff to Quinn, smiling. "Quinn, this is my boyfriend, Jeff."

"Hi there," The blond haired girl said.

Jeff forced himself to lift the corners of his mouth into a smile, knowing that it wouldn't look like a proper smile. "Hi," he said with a small wave.

Quinn grinned. "Don't be scared, nothing is happening." Jeff nodded, looking onto the floor. He was hoping for this to get over with fast. Quinn's smile went compassionate. "Your boyfriend is really good. Trust in him,"

"Okay, let's get this over with," Nick said and Jeff noticed that Nick had blushed a little.

Quinn went to the computer, putting up a drawn set of teeth. "I'm ready, you can start."

Nick sorted out everything, and after a minute he sat down on his stool, the mirror and explorer in hand. "Okay Jeff, open please."

Jeff did as he was told, feeling that his hands were getting sweaty again. Nick was giving numbers to Quinn, some were followed by letters. Jeff knew it only took a few minutes, but it felt like ages. Especially because he could hear the scraping sound, which was cringe worthy. At one point Nick tapped on a tooth and Jeff couldn't help but wince a little.

"I am sorry Jeff, I should have warned you. Are you okay?" Nick asked, looking at Jeff apologetically.

"Ahhl goo, yesh," Jeff tried to answer, Nick smiled at the sound that came out. Then he continued with his work.

After a while Nick put down the tools. "Thanks Jeff," He said and Jeff closed his mouth.

Quinn turned to the two men, smiling. "See Jeff, not bad at all, was it?"

Jeff shook his head, it hadn't been too terrible. "I can think of things I would have rather been experiencing though," Jeff said with a small smile.

Now all three of them grinned. Nick then moved his stool to Quinn. Jeff was sitting in the chair, wriggling.

The two dental students were talking in a language Jeff didn't understand and he was kind of happy about it. Then Nick looked back over to Jeff. "Calm down love, we are ready to leave."

Jeff jumped out of the chair, smiling again. Quinn and Nick were laughing at his obvious relief, Jeff had already opened the door, one foot out of the room.

"You two can go, I'll do the cleaning up. I think Jeff has spent enough time in here for today," Quinn said and the two boys put on a thankful smile.

"Thank you Quinn," They said simultaneously. Jeff then walked out of the building quickly. The moment he was standing outside he took a deep breath of the fresh air. He had done it, he had been to a dentist. Something he wouldn't have expected from himself.

**I will not update for a few days, don't get mad. But I have it all planed out in my head, so don't worry, the moment I feel like writing it out, I will :D**


	15. Chapter 15

They took a stroll. Walking down Washington Square Park, sitting down on one of the benches, simply looking at the lights. That was Jeff's favourite thing to do with Nick. Jeff loved his man, and to his surprise, Nick seemed to love him back. It was wonderful being with him, having the privilege of looking at that beautiful face. Enjoying time together, even in silence it was perfect, just being in the presents of his love. Right now though, he wasn't able to enjoy the moment. He was just waiting for Nick to speak up. After quite a bit of time, Nick did speak up. Nick laid his hand on Jeff's shoulder, looking right into his eyes so Jeff was able to see his own reflection in the hazel.

"Can we talk love?" He asked, looking a little concerned. He was probably being cautions so Jeff didn't freak out, but Jeff wasn't going to.

"We have to, I guess," Jeff said. He had been waiting for it anyway. The talking wasn't too bad, he knew Nick would not force him to do anything, he could say no. Jeff was okay with it.

Nick smiled a precarious smile. "We do. I know you don't like this, and that's fine. However, that doesn't mean you can go without addressing the problem. You can't just avoid things you are scared of. In fact, you have done it for way too long. You don't need to tell me how long it has been or anything, but I know that you are aware of what is going on," Nick said, fast-paced.

"Eight years," Jeff mumbled, looking down.

Nick looked at him in confusion. "Hmm?" He asked curiously.

"Since I have seen a dentist, it has been eight years," Jeff repeated. His face felt like it was on fire.  
>Nick smiled.<p>

"Well, it is even more impressive that you have been so calm today. The important thing is you have done it, and you know what?" He asked and Jeff shook his head.

"You have great teeth for someone who's been that long without an appointment. I mean, you don't need too much treatment, only a few fillings, nothing major. We'll get this done quickly, okay?" Did Nick get excited just then? The tone indicated it. That was not exactly what Jeff wanted.

He nodded, paused, and decided on speaking out his mind. "We will see, okay? I mean that was a lot today. I don't know how much more I can handle. Can you tell me how much it is though?"

Nick nodded understandingly. "Sure Jeff, you did amazingly. I know that this is really hard, I have never seen you this scared before, but it isn't too bad, really. One larger cavity, two medium sized ones, and a few that aren't too major. Don't worry about those. One thing though, you have a split tooth, probably the reason for your pain while chewing. I'd like to take care of that soon. It has probably been bothering you for quite some time, hasn't it?"

Jeff bit his lip. "Kind of..."

"It isn't too bad, really. It does not require a root canal. Well, not yet at least, but it is close to that, so don't irritate that nerve much more than it already is, okay?" Nick said, taking Jeff's hand. At the mention of a root canal Jeff jumped. He'd never hade one but he knew the stories. It was something to avoid for sure.


	16. Chapter 16

"I have time tomorrow after you have finished with lectures. I think it is time. I didn't talk about it for a while, but you need to get this done, now," Nick said.

Jeff was standing in front of the mirror, brushing his teeth before he went to bed.

He spit the toothpaste out, gargled, and turned around. His stomach was turning and he felt weak. Why was this so hard? He knew that it was very unlikely to be in pain. It was nothing more than a filling, but Jeff was still felt like he was dying inside.

"I.. I-" Jeff stuttered. "Can we give it a little more time?" Sure, he wanted to get this over with, but what he also wanted was to not get it done at all. A part of him was still hoping Nick would forget about all of it.

Nick shook his head. "I know I told you I would wait until you are ready, and I know you don't feel like you are, but I know you are. You can do this,"

Jeff sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "No, I don't know where you got that idea from, but I'm not. Can't we let it go?" Jeff knew that it was stupid to think Nick would even consider doing so, but he was pulling the strings he had left.

Nick didn't react to Jeff's last comment. "You're wrong. You are strong and brave, there is nothing to worry about. You've had some work done already, remember?"

Jeff thought about it. The chip had hurt like hell, anything that still needed to be done couldn't hurt too bad. It felt like the whole procedure had been done ages ago, but really it had only been a few weeks. He knew that Nick would not back off, if he wanted to get some sleep they needed to agree. "I'll try."

Nick grinned. "That's my boy."

The night was short and Jeff's body felt heavy when he tried getting up. He knew he had to; so he moved himself to the kitchen, prepared coffee, and sat on one of the stools next to the kitchen counter.

The coffee did a fine job, and though he didn't really feel like eating anything, he knew he had to. He took a big bite of a banana that was lying in the green fruit bowel Nick had stationed on the counter. The ache while chewing reminded him of the reason he was less than exited for this day.  
>He knew he would need to get Nick to agree on giving him a few more days. Jeff didn't feel ready, he wasn't in particularly bad pain, so he didn't see the point in going through with it.<p>

The day moved fast. On usual Mondays his lectures seemed to stretch on like a rubber band, but today it was different. Jeff felt like it was over before it really began. When he walked out of the last lecture Nick was waiting for him, a coffee in hand, smiling.

"How are you?" He asked.

Jeff felt nauseous. He had tried blocking out any thought of what was going to happen later that day and he had been sort of successful for most part, but now every bad memory was flooding back into his brain and he just felt like running. He knew Nick was faster and he didn't want to put up to much of a fight though.

"Okay..." He said. His voice was shaking, he knew it, Nick knew it as well.

"You're gonna be fine love. Please, don't worry too much. You wouldn't be in any pain," Nick tried to coax.

"I know..." Jeff said. The whole thing was so childish, he hated it. He couldn't help but feel terribly anxious. He loved Nick, sure, but he was still scared as hell.

"Just try, okay? I know you can do this," Nick said and Jeff nodded. "Good, come with me."

Jeff knew that his face had taken the color of paper. How would this work out? It wasn't like he was really committed to this.


	17. Chapter 17

The dreaded clinic. Again, the smell made Jeff's stomach turn; a feeling he was sure he'd never be able to shake.

Nick took his hand. "You are going to feel so much better once this is over. That means no more visits here for half a year, keep that in mind."

Jeff tried thinking about that. It was a little comforting, but it also meant that he would get multiple fillings today. This was the reason he hadn't talked to Nick about any of this for over a year. This was the reason he had not seen a dentist in ages. This was his own personal doom. Jeff shook his head. He stood there. Every muscle in his body froze and refusing to move.

"Honey, you've done so well up to this point. Don't put up a fight now. This is going to be over in no time," Nick said with a comforting smile.

Jeff knew Nick was trying to understand, but he didn't know the feeling. Nick had surely never felt the urge to run away from this place, never avoided it, and certainly never put up a fight with his parents when he was little about this. He just didn't get it.

Jeff shook his head. "No, Nick. You don't understand. I'm incapable of doing this. I just can't," Jeff stood there, visibly shaking. Nick stroked his hair gently.

"I know, Jeff. I don't know how you are feeling. Or I can't say that I've had the feeling before. Not connected to here anyway, but I am doing my best in trying to understand. I am afraid of quite a few things too, but sometimes it is necessary to suck it up and do it."

Nick was now standing in front of Jeff. "And you know that you will have to do it eventually, but don't you think it is easier to do it now? Instead of having to do it because you waited to the point where you got an infection? It doesn't help to put it off, Jeff. It is only going to make everything worse, your fear and your pain."

Nick hugged Jeff, who was feeling miserable. It wasn't like he didn't understand the points Nick was making. The problem was that Jeff understood all too well. He agreed with Nick on a theoretical basis, but that didn't make it any easier.  
>Nick looked at him apologetically. "Don't cry, please."<p>

Jeff hadn't noticed the stream of tears that were leaving his eyes until Nick pointed it out. "I'm sorry..."Jeff sobbed. He then felt the tip of a finger on his shoulder blades.

He turned around and saw a smiling blond girl. "Hi there. Are you two doing okay? Is there anything I can help you with?" It was Quinn. Jeff had forgotten about the room he was standing in. He had forgotten that he was standing in reach of his boyfriends professor and fellow students. This was so embarrassing.

Nick looked at the girl, grinning. "Thanks, Quinn, but we are okay, aren't we, Jeff?"

Jeff nodded. He just wanted to leave, forget about all of this.  
>"Just making sure. Don't worry, Jeff. You're gonna be fine," She smiled a warm smile at Jeff, who just nodded again. "Don't worry, this happens all too often here. We're all used to this kind of reaction, but even the people who have fainted end up getting it all done. It might seem impossible, but believe me, it isn't," She coaxed.<p>

Jeff couldn't help but lift the corners of his mouth slightly. This girl was doing a good job in calming him down, Nick even seemed to have noticed the gain in confidence.

"Thanks, Quinn. I think this is just what was needed. I think we should go to the back now, shouldn't we?" He asked, looking at Jeff.

Jeff nodded slightly. He wasn't sure if he was really capable of doing this, but right now he wanted nothing more than to get out of this room. Nick started walking and Jeff followed with fast steps. He felt like everyone in the room was staring at him, but the only glimpse he caught was an encouraging one from Quinn.

"Sit down, Jeff," Nick said. Jeff was standing in the doorway, not moving his body. "Please, Jeff. This will be nice and quick, I promise. Don't you want to be all pain free?"

Jeff looked down. "It is not worth it. You are going to hurt me, you don't want to, but you will..." It was something he didn't plan on telling Nick. He knew that Nick was trying to do his best in calming him down, but he knew the drill too well. Every time he had been forced to get a filling, it was excruciatingly painful.

Nick shook his head. "No, Jeff. Did I hurt you last time?" Jeff, who had his eyes on the floor still, shook his head reluctantly.

"That was different, it wasn't like it is now," Jeff mumbled.

Nick smiled a little. "No, it wasn't. It is much easier now, not close to the nerve like it was. You trust me, don't you?"

Jeff nodded slightly.

"Good. When ever you need a break, I will stop. Really though, dental procedures are painless now. Especially with the technology I have the privileged to work with. You don't even feel the needle that much and that is the worst part. Jeff, look at me," Nick said, having stood up and was getting closer to Jeff. "I had quite a bit of trouble with my teeth when I was younger, I had much worse done, but it never hurt. If the dentist is committed, and believe me I am, then there is nothing to fear. I love you, Jeff. I hate that I have to force you into doing this, but it is for your own good. I am trying to help, and your fear, as much as I understand it, is irrational. So please, honey. Sit down and try to get this done."

Jeff moved his body towards the chair, slowly. He swallowed hard, before he sat down reluctantly.

"Thank you, love. I will check again where I am going to inject you and we are going to get this done. I will numb your gums first, so nothing will hurt, not even the prick," Nick said. He had washed his hands and was now putting on gloves, then he picked up the mirror. "Open up."

Jeff hated those words. He started to shiver, clenched his jaw, and shook his head in a panic.

"Calm down, love. Everything is okay, it's just a mirror and a q-tip, for now. Please, calm down," Nick said with a worried look on his face.

"I am so sorry," Jeff was able to get out. "I just... can't..." He said, turning his head away from Nick. He hated himself for being so stupid. Why had he even allowed Nick to do anything in the first place? He should have known better.

Nick hugged the blond, putting his hand on Jeff's chest. "I know you, Jeff. I know how brave you can be, remember when you took that spider out? I was standing on a chair and you were so calm. Please, just open wide for me,"  
>Jeff had now turned his head back. He looked at Nick, knowing that tears were still forming in his eyes.<p>

"Don't forget to breath, baby," Jeff hadn't even noticed that the usually autonomous act had stopped. He started again, though irregularly. "You are going to do fine, believe me. Just open your mouth and try your best in relaxing. I would offer to hold your hand, but that could get a little hard," Nick said, now grinning. "But you can put your hand here," Nick moved Jeff's hand onto his thigh. The warm body had a calming effect and his breathing went smoother. "Great. Would you show me your cute little teeth now?"

Now Jeff was the one smiling a little. Nick never failed to amuse him, even in this situation.

"Ready?" Nick asked and Jeff nodded before he opened his mouth.

Nick took the opportunity and went in fast. The instant the numbing gel was applied, Jeff's gums felt funny. He could only concentrate on the ticklish sensation in his mouth, so he didn't even notice the syringe being put in.

"Okay, just close for now," The happy voice of Nick chirped in his ear. That was something he didn't need to hear twice. "Very good, baby. And see, you haven't bit me."

Jeff chuckled. He hadn't.

**Sorry for not having updated in a while, hope you liked this!**


	18. Chapter 18

"Ready for the next step?" Nick asked after a few minutes of waiting. Nick had been singing while he had prepared everything for the upcoming procedures. He had put the chair up again and Jeff was sitting on it, his legs hanging down in front of it, shaking rapidly.

"Don't know..." Jeff mumbled honestly. His voice was dull and shaky, he was pretty sure that his usually tanned face was white as snow.

Nick smiled. "You can do this, remember? You've had worse done. Just put your earphones in and you won't hear a thing. I'll be done fast, I promise. So just sit down, put the music on, and try to relax," He coaxed.

Jeff put his legs on the chair, looking straight at the ceiling. He tried imagining being somewhere else, but it didn't really help. He was still feeling incredibly nauseous and lightheaded.

"It's gonna be fine, love. Lean back," Nick said to Jeff whom obeyed. When the chair was reclined, Jeff felt close to getting sick. "Press play, you're not going to like the sound. Volume up!" Nick said with a smirk playing at his lips.

How could anyone enjoy this job?  
>Jeff pressed play and the voice of Tim McIlrath started singing in his ears loudly. Jeff was still looking at Nick, who had turned his head and was now preparing the hand piece. He made a gesture to show Jeff that he was supposed to open his mouth, Jeff's clenching teeth loosened up, and his lips moved apart. Nick shook his head, smiling and moved his hand towards Jeff's mouth. The situation was finally starting to dawn on Jeff and he flinched away. He then sat up.<p>

Nick put on an unfortunate smile, pressed Jeff down gently and put back the drill, before he removed Jeff's headphones. "Baby, you were doing so well. My brave little Jeff, you can do this," Nick said, massaging Jeff's shoulder soothingly.

Jeff nodded. He just wanted to get this over with, but he didn't know if he was even in control of his body anymore.

"I think you should close your eyes, okay?" Nick said in a calm voice. "I can't have you fidgeting while I am working, so is it okay if I hold your head still for a second? I will still stop the moment you want me to, but I think that would make it all easier," Jeff nodded again. "That is very helpful, thank you. You can still place your hand here," Nick placed Jeff's hand back on his knee. "And you can squeeze it as hard as you want," Nick added and received a soft chuckle from Jeff.

"I am sorry, Nick. I don't know... This is making me so scared, sorry," Jeff said.

Nick put on a warm smile. "I know, Jeff. Don't feel sorry; you are scared, but you know that this is not going to be bad, don't you?"  
>Jeff nodded. "Okay, baby. Can we try again?" Nick asked and Jeff leaned back. He open his mouth again without being asked, after having put the earphones back in.<br>He felt the tight but gentle grip of Nick's warm hand on his chin; it wasn't bad. He closed his eyes shortly after he felt the vibrations of the drill in his mouth. He tried concentrating on the music, the words, the base. Soon he noticed Nick taking his hand off of his face and moving it to his hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

It was taking a while and at one point the music stopped. Jeff should have thought about that, the short EP was over. The earphones did do a great job when music was playing and Jeff didn't hear a thing; but when the music stopped, Jeff could hear everything. The high pitched noise made him remember everything he hated about this, it wasn't actually painful, but in his head the memory was so real; he was sure it hurt. He clenched his eyes tighter and Nick stopped immediately.

"Hey, hey, What's wrong, baby? Did I hurt you?" He asked. Jeff opened his eyes slowly, noticing that his cheek was wet. He shook his head.

"Sorry, it just..." Jeff's words were cut off by a sob. The moment he started talking the tears came just flooding out.

"Hey, everything's fine. I've stopped, you've got this," Nick coaxed.

With a little monitored breathing Jeff was able to control the tears. "Sorry, Nick,"

Nick smiled. "Stop apologising, baby. I told you, I stop if you need a break. What's wrong though, you weren't in pain, were you?"

Jeff shook his head, again. "No, Nick. It wasn't you fault. It's just... The music stopped playing and I could hear everything and... It brought back everything."

Nick kissed Jeff's forehead and hugged him afterwards. "I am so sorry, baby. Do you need some more time?"

Jeff bit his lip, before he reluctantly shook his head again. "No, I'm fine. I'll just putting my phone on shuffle now."

Nick grinned. "You are very brave, my dear. You are almost done anyway, I will fill everything in less than five minutes, okay?"

"Deal!" Jeff said, his tone not really fitting with the attempted bravery of his answer. Nick must have noticed the same thing because a smirk played at his lips.

Jeff leaned back again, put on music, and opened his mouth. He put the volume up to max now, and before the second song ended, he felt the vibration stop.

He opened his eyes again and saw Nick grinning at him; he paused the music.

"Almost done, baby. Keep your mouth open for me now. I am only going to dry it all out with this light, okay?"

**I haven't even noticed the speed at which this story went over. It's only one more chapter... But I have a sequel all planned out, and there will be one or two more stories, too :D**

**This is so much fun, someone should have told me before I started this in my senior year, seriously :D**


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